Alpaca

Born December 13th, the male, named ‘Bandit’, is the first Alpaca to be born at the Zoo. The baby weighed in at 14 lbs. and stood about two feet tall. Bandit’s thick coat ensures he is all set for the cold weather, and he should be on exhibit throughout winter.

Even before birth, it seems Bandit was well suited for his rebel-style moniker. “Based on the mother’s weight gain, we had predicted the baby would be born in spring, so his arrival on a December Saturday morning was quite a surprise,” said Kacie Cummings, Contact Area Supervisor. “We are thrilled that baby Bandit is healthy and on exhibit with the rest of our Alpacas.”

With the addition of the baby, the Nashville Zoo is home to five Alpacas at Critter Encounters, their interactive area where guests can get up-close experiences with goats, camels, Galapagos tortoises and a variety of birds.

Alpacas are domesticated animals native to South America and a part of the camelid family. They thrive in high elevations and their thick wool coat is used to keep them warm in their native mountainous environment.

Little Alpaca Patrick at Zoo Berlin knows how to stay warm: playful jumping and kicking! And of course, some snuggling with mom, Olivia.

Alpacas, in the same family as camels and llamas, were domesticated in the Andes for use of their very dense, soft hair. Babies in the camelid family are called crias, from the Spanish word for baby, 'cría'.

A baby alpaca—also called a cria— was born on the morning of October 16 at The Children’s Zoo at Celebration Square in Michigan. The little boy, named Cypress, was standing on his own wobbly legs just two hours after birth. He started walking and nursing with a little bit of encouragement from a keeper.

Lily, his mother, is doing very well after the birth and is naturally very caring and nurturing. (She is the white alpaca in the pictures.) Cypress' one-year-old sister, Rose, was immediately jealous and kept nosing her way into all of his photos. But it didn't take too before she seemed to be more accepting of sharing the limelight and played nice on camera, even planting big kiss on her baby brother's face.